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Students' Implicit Theories of Ability in Physical Education Classes: The Influence of Motivational Aspects of the Learning Environment

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Abstract

This study examined the influence of the perceived situational climate on students' implicit theories of ability in physical education (PE) classes. The empirical data stem from a questionnaire survey of ninth grade students conducted in the county of Buskerud in Norway. Canonical correlation, multiple regression and one-way MANOVA analyses revealed a consistent pattern of relationships between the motivational climate in PE as perceived by the students and their implicit theories of ability. A learning environment that is perceived to emphasise competition and social comparison and to raise concern about one's ability seems to induce fixed implicit theories of ability. By contrast, a climate in which effort, progress and teacher support of all students is seen as prevailing seems to generate a theory of ability as expandable and learning induced. Results were interpreted as providing evidence for the importance of a mastery-oriented climate in PE in terms of fostering optimism for learning in school physical education.

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Ommundsen, Y. Students' Implicit Theories of Ability in Physical Education Classes: The Influence of Motivational Aspects of the Learning Environment. Learning Environments Research 4, 139–158 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012495615828

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